Laminated photographic identification card



July 14, 1970 D. G. WIEST LAMINATED PHOTOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION CARDFiled Aug. 7, 1967 lDE/VT/C/AT/ON 0R CREDIT CARD 6L YCEROL TRANSPARENTPHOTOGRAPH/C k'F/LM BASE HKPHOTOGRAPH/C EMULSION A\ADHES/VE LAYER R/G/DEMDDSSABLE SUBSTRATE DONALD 6. W/EST INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 1615 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE An embossable identification or credit card has been made bylaminating the photographic emulsion layer of a transparent photographicfilm to a rigid substrate using an adhesive based on a latex ofpolyvinyl acetate copolymerized with an alkyl ester of an unsaturatedcarboxylic acid to which gelatin, gelatin plasticizer and an attacksolvent for the substrate are added. The migration of the plasticizerfrom the adhesive into the emulsion during and subsequent to laminationcauses an increased hardening and/or plasticizing of the emulsion andimproves cohesive bonding within the emulsion, and consequently theoverall toughness, durability and quality of the identification cardproduced. Alternatively, the gelatin plasticizer may be wiped onto thesurface of the photographic emulsion layer just prior to the lamination.

The present invention relates to an improved photographic identificationor credit card and to a method of producing the same.

The well-known credit or identification cards carried by many people forone purpose or another are well known to all. Such identification orcredit cards usually comprise a fiat member, at least part of which isformed from an embossable material such as a metal and more currently aplastic, this embossable material having text embossed thereon fromwhich a printed impression may be made upon the business document thatis required in making a charge entry or the like. Some suchidentification cards although embossable are not embossed and includemerely the photographic image of the carrier along with other relevantdata related thereto.

The physical requirements for these cards necessitated by their frequenthandling and exposure to sunlight or conditions of extreme heat, coldand humidity in a variety of industrial applications preferably includehigh wear resistance, toughness, ability to be embossed (as mentionedabove), freedom from curl, resistance to heat, cold and ultravioletlight and others. The cards preferably should be unaffected by waterimmersion and must be of a chemical composition that does not haveadverse effects on either black and white or color (processed)photographic emulsions.

The process of making such cards in order to be practicable andeconomical should be simple, convenient, rapid, chemically innocuousand, if heat activation is required, the temperature of the laminantsshould not exceed about 220 F. to avoid adversely affecting the dyeimage. Furthermore, the adhesive used in laminating should not changethe color and definition of the photographic image.

A two-part laminate, which has been disclosed in the prior art (Johnson,U.S. Pat. 3,152,901), is the simplest and most conveniently producedtype of card presently known insofar as manufacture is concerned;however, the simplicity of such a structure, places higher strengthrequirements on the photographic emulsionto rigid, embossable substratebond than in the case, for example, where cards are formed with aphotographic film having a rigid embossable substrate layer on bothsides thereof,

3,520,758 Patented July 14, 1970 i.e. a 3-ply lamination, and with thephotographic film ply slightly undercut so that a very strongsubstrate-tosubstrate lamination can be made about the periphery of thecard. However, these cards are more expensive and generally require moremanual labor during lamination and hence, the two-ply card is preferred.

The best of the two-ply cards currently produced are perhaps thosestructurally similar to the card disclosed in the above-identifiedJohnson patent. This patent describes a method for making anidentification card by laminating an embossable, rigid poly (vinylchloride) substrate to an emulsion bearing transparent photographicfilm, emulsion side down to the substrate using an adhesive compositionof Eastman 910 cement (a cyano acrylate) in the lamination. Such cardshave proven useful; however, it has been determined that the adhesivetends to degrade upon exposure to sunlight due to the action ofultraviolet rays and, hence, that the laminate plys separate after suchexposure.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide animproved tamper-proof identification card having the above-describedphysical characteristics while avoiding the shortcomings of the bestprior art devices, and also a method of producing such a device.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be madeobvious to those skilled in the art by the following description whenconsidered in relation to the accompanying drawing of which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred identification deviceof the present invention assembled in accordance with the method of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between adhesion and theamount of gelatin plasticizer, in this instance glycerol, which ispresent in the adhesive compositions of the present invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a tamper-proofidentification device comprising a card preferably formed from anembossable material, a photographic film base or support coated upon atleast one side thereof with a photographic emulsion layer bearingidentifying indicia therein, said emulsion layer being laminated to saidcard and an adhesive layer joining said card to said photographicemulsion layer, said adhesive consisting essentially of from about toabout 95 percent by Weight of polyvinyl acetate copolymerized with analkyl ester of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, from about 5 to about 15percent by weight of gelatin, and from about 0.25 to about 6 percent byweight of a gelatin plasticizer. The photographic emulsion layercontains from about 0.25 to about 4 percent by weight of a gelatinplasticizer which has migrated from either the surface of thephotographic emulsion or from within the adhesive composition utilizedto join the members during lamination.

There is also provided a novel process for manufacturing a tamper-proofidentification device as above-described which involves introducing agelatin plasticizer into the photographic emulsion layer during thelamination process thereby improving cohesive bonding within thephotographic emulsion layer, and consequently the overall toughness anddurability and tamper-proofness of the finished composite device. Thisprocess is suitable for laminating photographic emulsion layers to analmost endless list of substrates.

Finally, the invention provides an aqueous dispersed adhesivecomposition, suitable for joining a gelatin emulsion to a substrate,consisting essentially of from about 60 to about percent by weight of alatex of polyvinyl acetate copolymerized with an alkyl ester of anunsaturated carboxylic acid, from about 5 to about 15 percent by weightof a gelatin, from about 0.5 to about 10 percent by weight of a gelatinplasticizer and from about 5 to about 20 percent by weight of an attacksolvent for said substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the finished identification device or credit card ofthe present invention consists of a rigid and preferably embossablesubstrate laminated to a transparent photographic film base coated,according to the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1, upon one side thereofwith a photographic emulsion, which emulsion bears identifying indiciatherein. The two plies of the laminate are joined by an adhesive layerwhich holds the emulsioncoated surface of the transparent photographicfilm base in close proximity to the upper surface of the substrate.

The substrate member of the laminate may consist of any material whichwill form a practical support for the balance of the card, i.e. the cardshould be sufificiently rigid to serve the practical usages to whichsuch cards are put while being sufliciently flexible so as not to bebrittle. Since it is generally preferred to have printed indiciaembossed into the card surface, the substrate should be of a materialwhich is ductile and embossable as well as easily and economicallyfabricated. At present cards of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride ofstandard identifica tion card grade materials containing such modifiersas proprietary stabilizers and ranging in thickness from about to about30 mils have been found most suitable for use in embossed identificationand credit card applications. Should embossing and relatives thinnessnot be of importance in any particular application, the card may be madeas thick or as flexible as desired to suit the particular usage.

When, as in the preferred embodiment described in greater detail below,the photographic emulsion layer bears reverse printed identifyingindicia therein, the substrate material should include a pigment such astitanium dioxide (TiO which imparts a light (in this case white) colorto the substrate so that its surface will reflect light impingingthereon back up through the photo graphic emulsion layer and transparentphotographic film base to reveal the indicia photographically recordedtherein and thereon. The substrate may however be transparent and havean opaque film base as support for a conventionally printed photographicemulsion.

The film base member of the card may consist of any number of materialspresently in use as film base. These include the cellulose esters suchas cellulose acetates, (especially cellulose triacetate) celluloseacetate-butyrates and cellulose acetate propionates, cellulosetripropionate, cellulose tributyrate and polyesters such aspoly(ethylene terephthalate) which is particularly preferred where a.transparent photographic film base is used in the present invention.Paper on other opaque materials may be used in combination with thetransparent substrate described above. Furthermore, simple translucentsubstrates may be used in certain reverse printing applications.

The thickness of the film base is not of particular importance so longas it is thin enough to be adequately ductile to emboss when embossingof the card or device is desired. According to the preferred embodiment,the thickness of the film base ranges from about 2.5 to about 4.0 mils,these dimensions being particularly advantageous when the film baseconsists of a polyester material, and the card is to be embossed.

The photographic emulsion which is coated upon the film base may consistof any conventional black and white or color emulsion presently in use.Such gelatin emulsions are well known in the art and common knowledge topeople employed in these areas. For instance, the conventionalgelatino-silver halide emulsions presently in gen eral use are mostsuitable to application in the present invention. Three layer coloremulsions are also preferred for use in the card of this invention.

Although the thickness of the emulsion layer may vary according to theparticular emulsion used and whether the emulsion produces a color orblack and white image,

satisfactory results are obtained when the total emulsion thicknessranges from about 0.2 to about 0.8 mil.

At this point, it must be noted that one of the factors whichdistinguishes the present identification card from those of the priorart is the presence in the photographic emulsion layer of from about0.25 to about 4.0 percent by weight of a gelatin plasticizer which.improves the cohesive bonding within the emulsion and consequently theoverall durability of the identification or credit card of thisinvention. The particular plasticizers which may be utilized for thispurpose and the method of introducing them into the photographicemulsion layer will be described in detail below, it being important nowonly to note their presence in the emulsion layer for the abovedescribedpurpose.

The adhesive layer which forms the joint between the photographicemulsion and the substrate is comprised of a material consistingessentially of from about 75 to about percent by weight of a copolymerof poly(vinyl acetate) and an alkyl ester of an unsaturated carboxylicacid, from about 5 to about 15 percent by weight of gelatin, and fromabout 0.25 to about 6 percent by weight of a gelatin plasticizer.

The poly(vinyl acetate) copolymer which forms the foundation of theadhesive composition, whose contents are described in detail below, maybe a 55% solids latex available from Union Carbide Co. as Gelva TS- orGelva TS70. These compounds are poly(vinyl acetate)- alkyl acrylate andpoly(vinyl acetate)-alkyl maleate copolymers respectively.

The gelation portion of the adhesive layer preferably consists of aphotographic emulsion grade gelatin, and the better the grade of thegelatin, the finer the form of the gel and consequently the better thebond formed between the substrate and the photographic emulsion. Thus, alow color gelatin will produce superior results, although a glue gradegelatin could be used if the card is intended only for short term use,since such low grade gelatin may cause a loss or change of color ordefinition in the photographic emulsion, particularly where theidentifying indicia are present as color images.

The gelatin plasticizer which is present in the adhesive layer mayconsist of any conventional plasticizer, and its presence andcomposition will be explained in greater detail below in the discussionof the method of forming the card or device of FIG. 1.

The thickness of this adhesive layer according to the preferredembodiment ranges from about 0.5 to about 2.0 mils. Such a thicknessprovides excellent adhesion and an optimum of embossability.

Thus, it should be clear from the above discussion, that the preferredembodiment of the identification device f the present invention as shownin cross-section in FIG. 1, is one having a polyvinyl chloride substrateranging in thickness from about 10 to about 30 mils, having atransparent polyester film base ranging in thickness from about 2.5 to4.0 mils coated upon at least one side with a processed photographicemulsion bearing reversed printed identifying indicia therein and havinga thickness of from about 0.2 to about 0.8 mil, laminated emulsion sidedown thereon, the substrate and photographic emulsion being joined by anadhesive layer ranging from about 0.5 to about 2 mils in thickness andhaving the above-described composition.

The identification device or credit card having the above-describedcomposition is tough and durable, resistant to moisture and thedegrading effects of ultraviolet light which affected prior artidentification cards, extremely tamper-proof in that the layers cannotbe separated without destroying the indicia bearing photographicemulsion layer and can be simply, economically and rapidly assembled bymeans of the process of the present invention as set forth below.

In its process aspect, the invention comprises the improvement ofconventional methods of fabricating twoply identification cards toproduce the above-described improved identification device.

In a process for laminatirg a photographic emulsion layer bearingidentifying indicia therein, to a substrate, the present inventionprovides the improvement which comprises introducing a gelatinplasticizer into the photo graphic emulsion layer during the laminationprocess thereby improving cohesive bonding within the phot graphicemulsion layer and consequently the overall toughness, durability andmoisture and ultraviolet resistance of the finished laminate.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cardor substrate of the type described above in connection with thestructure of the finished device is laminated to a photographic filmbase having a photographic emulsion layer bearing identifying indiciatherein, which combination is also described above, utilizing a water orwater and alcohol dispersion of an adhesive described in detail below.

As stated above, the substrate is preferably sufiiciently ductile to beembossed and many consist of any material adequately suited to such anapplication.

The photographic film base and photographic emulsion layer which iscoated thereon are also described in detail above. The identifyingindicia which are present in the photographic image of the indicia intosaid emulsion. This reverse printing method is well known in the art andis described in great detail in US. Pat. 3,152,901 to Johnson. When thetransparent photographic film is subsequently laminated to the abovedescribed light or whitecolored substrate, the image is viewed byreflected light and is right reading.

The gelatin plasticizer may be introduced into the photographic emulsionlayer in at least two alternative manners. Regardless of which manner isutilized, the plasticizer cannot be introduced before the emulsion isprocessed and the visible photographic image produced therein, as suchplasticization prior to processing would render the emulsion much toosoft to permit a subsequent processing.

Thus, the gelatin plasticizer may be introduced into the emulsion bymixing it directly into the aqueous dispersion of adhesive composition,which is the preferred method and that demonstrated in the examplesbelow, or alternatively, from about 1 to about 2 grams of plasticizerper square foot of photographic emulsion may be applied directly to thesurface of the photographic emulsion by wiping from about 5 to aboutpercent solids solution of the plasticizer in an alcohol such asmethanol onto the surface of the photographic emulsion, mixing of theplasticizer and other adhesive components taking lace during the actuallamination of the layer by the application of heat and pressure whichalso serves to evaporate the alcohol solvent.

Whichever method is used to introduce the plasticizer, the proportionthereof relative to the total weight of the adhesive should remainwithin the designated preferred ranges in order to achieve the desiredpreferred results. Optimum toughness and durability are attained whenthe proportion of plasticizer ranges from about 2 to about 5 percent byweight of the adhesive as explained below. It should be noted here, thatthe photographic film having a layer of gelatin plasticizer of theabove-described composition and density wiped over the surface of itsphotographic emulsion layer may be valuable in and of itself as apretreated photographic film which is ready for lamination to any numberof rigid or soft substrates with an almost endless variety of adhesivesto achieve a broad range of different results.

When the gelatin plasticizer is incorporated into the adhesivecomposition prior to lamination according to the methods describedbelow, from about to about 50 percent thereof will migrate from theadhesive layer into the emulsion layer during laminati When theplasticizer is coated by wiping or otherwise directly upon the emulsionsurface, from about 25 to about 50 percent thereof migrates into theemulsion layer while the balance thereof migrates into the adhesivelayer improving the cohesive bonding within the gelatin containedtherein. In either case, this migration or distribution, althoughoccurring largely during the actual lamination, proceeds to a lesserdegree for at least a period of several weeks subsequent to the initialfabrication of the card, and hence the card will actually become tougherand more resistant to its many nemeses during the first few weeks of itsexistence.

In the case where the photographic emulsion layer consists of athree-layer color emulsion, it is believed that the gelatin plasticizermigrates only to a depth of one third the thickness of the totalemulsion layer. In the case of a black and white, single layer emulsion,penetration of the plasticizer is believed to be again substantially onethird the thickness of the emulsion layer; however, in this instance itis highly probable that migra tion of the plasticizer Over a period ofseveral weeks provides much deeper penetration thereof to /2 or even ofthe total emulsion thickness.

The actual lamination of the members of the identification device intoan integral unit should be performed within certain broad ranges oftime, temperature and pressure in order to achieve optimum results inthe form of a vastly improved identification or credit card.

The adhesive mixture, in this instance including or excluding thegelatin plasticizer, can be precoated upon the substrate material andcured by drying at from about 25 C. to about 60 C. for from about 5minutes to about 24 hours. The resulting layer is nontacky.Alternatively, the adhesive composition may be applied immediately priorto lamination and subjected to a rapid and partial drying Within theabove described ranges.

The cured-adhesive coated substrate described above, may find utility ina variety of applications other than that specifically described here.For example, a card could be made by laminating a conventionally printedphotographic print to a transparent substrate member, and the precoatedsubstrate could be a valuable and timesaving device for the laminator ofthe numbers of such a card.

The latex mixture can be applied by spray, brush, roller, or any of theconventional coating schemes used in good adhesive practice.

Laminating temperatures in the embodiments wherein poly (vinyl chloride)materials are used as substrates are limited to a range of about to C.due to the low softening point of such materials. Thus, when poly (vinylchloride) is used as substrate, as in the preferred embodiment, it isdesirable to apply the adhesive to the substrate in a precoatingprocedure carried out by high volume production and curing the same in asimilar manner to a dry, nontacky coating by heating to within theabove-described curing range for the above-described periods.

The actual lamination is more temperature sensitive than pressuresensitive, and so long as adequate heat is applied the pressure needonly be enough to press the various members of the laminate into contactwith each other.

Suitable laminating pressures may range from about 50 to about 2000p.s.i. depending upon the amount of heat applied to the laminants. Dwelltime (i.e. the period for which the laminating pressure is applied tothe opposing surfaces of the finished laminate) for this pressure mayrange from a fraction of a second (about to a maximum of about oneminute in the case of color emulsions) depending upon the amount of heatapplied, and the character of the laminants.

Lamination can be accomplished at somewhat higher temperatures thanthose used in the drying of the precoated adhesive without distortion ofthe poly(vinyl chloride) or other low temperature distorting material,if the heat is confined to the adhesive and photographic emulsionlayers. This can be accomplished most conveniently by preheating thephotographic emulsion with impinging hot air at about 225 F. before itis brought into contact with the adhesive-coated substrate in a lowertemperature nip-roll lamination. Thus, with such a preheating, the dwelltime for the pressure during lamination is only a fraction of a secondand lamination at linear speeds of four feet per minute has been carriedout.

A maximum pressure dwell time must be established for laminationutilizing color photographic emulsions, since when pressures andtemperatures in the range discussed above are applied to the emulsionfor longer than about one minute color buildup (i.e. staining of clearareas) occurs thus destroying the clarity and definition of the imagewhich it is desired to preserve.

The adhesive composition which is utilized in the process of thisinvention provides a unique adhesive for joining photographic emulsionsto a variety of substrates, and it is particularly effective for joiningsuch materials to poly(vinyl chloride) substrates.

As stated above, the adhesive comprises a water dispersion of anadhesive composition consisting essentially of from about 60 to about 90percent by weight of a latex of polyvinyl acetate copolymerized with analkyl ester of an unsaturated carboxylic acid, from about to about 15percent by weight of a gelatin, from about 0.5 to about 10 percent byweight of a gelatin plasticizer and from about 5 to about 20 percent byweight of a substrate attack solvent.

The composition of the gelatin component of the adhesive has beendescribed above.

The copolymers which are preferred for optimum re: sults in the presentinvention are a poly(vinyl acetate)- alkyl acrylate copolymercommercially available as a 55 percent solids dispersion in water orwater and alcohol known as Gelva TS-lOO and a poly(vinyl acetate)-alky1maleate copolymer commercially available as a 55 percent solidsdispersion in water or water and alcohol known as Gelva TS-70. Both ofthese compositions are well known adhesives and their use as such iswell known in the art. It should of course be clear that in the finishedcard described above, the latex is present as a copolymer film, thedispersing water or water and alcohol medium having been evaporatedduring curing of the adhesive prior to lamination.

The plasticizers which are suitable for use in the method and productsof the instant invention include generally almost any polyhydric organiccompound commonly used in such plasticization applications. Inparticular, formamide, urea, ethanol formamide, poly(ethylene glycol),methylpentane diol, dicarbitol succinate, and dimethoxy tetraethyleneglycol are preferred. Glycerol is specifically preferred for optimumresults when the photographic emulsions of the type used in thisinvention are joined to substrates such as the poly(vinyl chloride) baseof the present invention. The quality of the glycerol or otherplasticizer should be what is known in the art as technical grade toinsure that no impurity which might harm the photographic image isintroduced into the emulsion.

The attack solvents which are suitable for use in the adhesivecomposition include almost any solvent which tends to activate andsoften the surface of the substrate, a large number of which are wellknown in the art. Specifically preferred as attack solvent in thepreferred em bodiment of the invention wherein poly(vinyl chloride) isused as substrate are methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl ethyl ketone, andcyclohexanone which attack such a substrate in exactly the degreerequired for the most satisfactory bonds. An adhesion improver such aspoly(vinyl methyl ether) may be incorporated into an attack solvent,such as methyl ethyl ketone to provide a further improved adhesion.

When the gelatin concentration in the adhesive is reduced to below therecommended 5 percent or increased to above the recommended 15 percentadhesion between the laminants becomes relatively poor and the productof inferior quality.

The concentration of the attack solvent must be maintained within therecommended boundaries so that the adhesive layer and consequently thelaminated structures can be properly dried and so that sufiicient attackis provided to produce superior results. Below the recommended 5 percentminimum concentration, attack on the substrate is insufficient toprovide a good bond while above the recommended 20 percent maximumconcentration, drying of the adhesive even in a precoating and curingstep as described above is impractical and sometimes even impossiblewithin any reasonable boundaries of time and temperature.

The limitations placed upon the amount of glycerol or other plasticizerwhich is either incorporated into the adhesive composition or coatedthereon is demonstrated most eifectively by the graph of FIG. 2. Thevertical axis of the graph represents a subjective scale ranging fromvery poor to excellent and numbered 1 to 5 to measure the adhesionbetween the photographic film and substrate, with the concentration ofglycerol in the adhesive prior to lamination recorded along thehorizontal axis. As is clear from this graph, at concentrations ofglycerol below about 0.5 percent adhesion is at best very poor and thesame is true at concentrations of glycerol above or about 10 percent, amaximum and excellent adhesion being attained when the glycerolconcentration ranges from about 2 to about 5 percent by weight.

The amount of latex in the adhesive composition is not critical. So longas it falls within the specified range, good adhesion will be attainedproviding the balance of the components are within their requiredranges.

The water into which the adhesive composition is dispersed, should bedistilled or Permutit-type water to insure that no undersirableimpurities which might affect the quality of the photographic image areintroduced into the adhesive system. The quantity of water utilized iscontrolled by the consistency which is desired for the adhesivecomposition, and hence it is ultimately determined by the method whichis used to apply the adhesive, i.e., spray, brush, roller, etc.

The following examples will serve to better illustrate the method,products and articles of this invention, and should not be construed inany way as limiting:

is formulated as follows: the gelatin is dissolved in distilled water atC. and the glycerol added to this mixture. The mixture is cooled to 30C. and added to the latex with rapid stirring. Finally, the methyliso-butyl ketone is added.

This mixture, when coated on a conventional polyvinyl chloride substrateand dried in air at 25 C. for 72 hours to produce a dry coat thicknessof about 1 mil, yields good quality lamination to color photographicemulsions when laminated at -160 C. under 1000 p.s.i. for a period ofabout 30 seconds. The resultant bond is tamper-proof and the cohesivestrength of the photographic emulsion improved.

9 EXAMPLE 2 An adhesive mixture of the following composition isformulated as in Example 1:

Poly(vinyl acetate)-alkyl maleate copoylmer latex (Gelva TS-70, 55%solids) 100 Photographic emulsion grade gelatin 3 Glycerol 3 Distilledwater 100 Methyl ethyl ketone adding a proportion of poly(vinyl methylether) in the form of a solution in methyl ethyl ketone, for example:

G. Poly(vinyl acetate)-alkyl acrylate latex (Gelva TS 100) 100Photographic emulsion grade gelatin 3.4

Glycerol 3.4 Distilled water 100 Polyvinyl methyl ether in methyl ethylketone A solution prepared and coated as before exhibits improvedadhesive attack on the polyvinyl chloride substrate.

In some instances, it may be desirable to incorporate some of theidentifying indicia upon the rigid substrate, as for example byprinting, prior to application of the adhesive thereon and lamination ofthe composite card. This is easily done, and any amount of the indiciamay be printed upon the substrate or produced in the photographicemulsion layer according to the desire of the manufacturer.

As mentioned earlier, the card may also be embossed providing thicknessand material requirements are met as they are according to the preferredembodiments of the present invention.

It may also be desirable to include means on the card for receiving theholders signature. This may be accomplished by providing an appropriatenonerasa'ble strip that is adhered to either side of the completed card;such a strip being described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,403,176.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference topreferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variationsand modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of theinvention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A laminated photographic identification card comprising a substrate,a support, a photographic emulsion layer bearing identifying indiciatherein coated upon at least one side of said support, said emulsionlayer being laminated to said substrate by means of an adhesive layerbetween said substrate and said emulsion layer, said adhesive layerconsisting essentially of from about 75 to about 90 percent by weight ofa copolymer of poly(vinyl acetate) and an alkyl ester of an unsaturatedcarboxylic acid, from about 5 to about 15 percent of a gelatin, and fromabout 0.25 to about 6.0 percent of a gelatin plasticizer, and saidphotographic emulsion layer including from about 0.25 to about 4.0percent by weight of said gelatin plasticizer.

2. The identification card of claim 1 wherein said gelatin plasticizerwhich is present in said photographic emulsion layer has migratedtherein during lamination.

3. The identification card of claim 2 wherein said substrate consists ofan embossable material.

4. The identification card of claim 3 wherein said substrate consistsessentially of poly (vinyl chloride) and ranges in thickness from about10 to about 30 mils.

5. The identification card of claim 2 wherein said support consists of amaterial selected from the group consisting of poly(ethyleneterephthalate), cellulose acetate, cellulose triacetate, celluloseacetate-butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose tripropionate,and cellulose tribuytrate and ranges in thickness from about 2.5 toabout 4.0 mils, and said photographic emulsion layer ranges in thicknessfrom about 0.2 to about 0.8 mil.

'6. The identification card of claim 2 wherein said copolymer of saidadhesive layer is selected from the group consisting of poly(vinylacetate)-alkyl acrylate copolymers and poly(vinyl acetate)-alkyl maleatecopolymers, and said adhesive layer ranges in thickness from about 0.5to about 2.0 mils.

7. The identification card of claim 2 wherein said gelatin of saidadhesive layer is selected from the group consisting of photographicemulsion grade gelatin, and glue grade gelatin, and said gelatinplasticizer of said adhesive and said photographic emulsion layers is apolyhydric organic compound.

8. The identification card of claim 2 wherein said gelatin plasticizeris selected from the group consisting of formamide, urea, glycerol,ethanol formamide, poly(ethylene glycol), methyl pentane diol,dicarbitol succinate, and dimethoxy tetraethylene glycol.

9. As an article of manufacture, a substrate having an adhesive layercoated thereon, said adhesive layer consisting essentially of from aboutto about percent by weight of a poly(vinyl acetate) copolymer se lectedfrom the group consisting of poly(vinyl acetate)- alkyl acrylate andpoly(vinyl acetate)-alkyl maleate copolymers, from about 5 to about 15percent by weight of a gelatin selected from the group consisting ofphotographic emulsion grade and glue grade gelatin, and from about 0.25to about 6 percent by Weight of a gelatin plasticizer consistingessentially of a compound selected from the group consisting offormarnide, urea, glycerol, ethanol formamide, poly(ethylene glycol),methyl pentane diol, dicarbitol succinate, and dimethoxy tetramethyleneglycol.

10. The article of claim 9 wherein said substrate consists essentiallyof a polyvinyl chloride sheet having a thickness of from about 10 toabout 30 mils and said adhesive layer ranges in thickness from about 0.5to about 2.0 mils.

11. As an article of manufacture, a coated photographic film comprisinga photographic film base, a photographic emulsion layer coated upon atleast one side of said film base, and a thin layer of a gelatinplasticizer coated over said photographic emulsion layer and having adensity of from about 1 to about 2 grams per square foot of saidphotographic emulsion layer.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein said gelatinplasticizer is a compound selected from the group consisting offormamide, urea, glycerol, poly(ethylene glycol), ethanol formamide,methyl pentane diol, dicarbitol succinate, and dimethoxy tetraethyleneglycol.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,578,282 12/1951 Bliss 16l2283,152,901 10/1964 Johnson 402.2 3,284,204 8/1966 Von Lillin 1l7--83DOUGLAS J. DRUMMOND, Primary Examiner R. KILLWORTH, Assistant ExaminerU.S. Cl. XJR.

@2 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Dated July14, 1970 Patent No. 3,520,758

Invent r( Donald G. Wiest It is certified that error appears in theabove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

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